White Chocolate Leaves Recipes

Steps:

• Gently clean leaves using a damp paper towel. Let dry completely on a baking sheet lined with paper towels.
• Heat chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water until almost melted. Remove from heat; stir until smooth. Transfer one-third of the chocolate to a small bowl; tint green. Tint remaining chocolate pale pink.
• Using a pastry brush, generously coat undersides of 20 small leaves with pink chocolate and 10 large leaves with green chocolate. Place leaves, chocolate sides up, on baking sheets lined with parchment. Freeze until firm, about 10 minutes.
• Starting at stem ends, peel leaves from chocolate; discard leaves. Transfer chocolate leaves to baking sheets lined with clean parchment paper; refrigerate until ready to use.

Steps:

• Place the metal leaf template onto parchment paper. Using a small offset spatula, spread bittersweet chocolate over the template. Remove the stencil and allow to harden. If you don't have a stencil, use a paintbrush to spread bittersweet chocolate over a real leaf on the shiny side, keeping the thickness to about 1/8-inch. Allow the chocolate to set completely then gently peel back the leaf from the chocolate.
• How to Temper Chocolate(From Dessert Circus, Extraordinary Desserts You Can Make At Home by Jacques Torres):
• Chocolate is tempered so that after it has been melted, it retains its gloss and hardens again without becoming chalky and white (that happens when the molecules of fat separate and form on top of the chocolate). There are a variety of ways to temper.
• One of the easiest ways to temper chocolate is to chop it into small pieces and then place it in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time on high power until most of the chocolate is melted. Be very careful not to overheat it. (The temperature of dark chocolate should be between 88 and 90 degrees F, slightly warmer than your bottom lip. It will retain its shape even when mostly melted. White and milk chocolates melt at a temperature approximately 2 degrees F less because of the amount of lactose they contain.) Any remaining lumps will melt in the chocolate's residual heat. Use an immersion blender or whisk to break up the lumps. Usually, chocolate begins to set, or crystallize, along the side of the bowl. As it sets, mix those crystals into the melted chocolate to temper it. A glass bowl retains heat well and keeps the chocolate tempered longer.
• Another way to temper chocolate is called seeding. In this method, add small pieces of unmelted chocolate to melted chocolate. The amount of unmelted chocolate to be added depends on the temperature of the melted chocolate, but is usually 1/4 of the total amount. It is easiest to use an immersion blender for this, or a whisk.
• The classic way to temper chocolate is called tabliering. Two thirds of the melted chocolate is poured onto a marble or another cold work surface. The chocolate is spread out and worked with a spatula until its temperature is approximately 81 degrees F. At this stage, it is thick and begins to set. This tempered chocolate is then added to the remaining non-tempered chocolate and mixed thoroughly until the mass has a completely uniform temperature. If the temperature is still too high, part of the chocolate is worked further on the cold surface until the correct temperature is reached. This is a lot of work, requires a lot of room, and makes a big mess.
• A simple method of checking tempering, is to apply a small quantity of chocolate to a piece of paper or to the point of a knife. If the chocolate has been correctly tempered, it will harden evenly and show a good gloss within a few minutes.

Steps:

• Line large baking sheet with foil. Melt chocolate in top of double boiler over simmering water, stirring until smooth and instant-read thermometer inserted into chocolate registers 115°F. Brush chocolate over veined side (underside) of 1 leaf, coating thickly and completely. Arrange chocolate side up on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining leaves and chocolate, rewarming chocolate if necessary to maintain 115°F temperature. Chill leaves until firm, about 45 minutes. Starting at stem end, carefully pull back green leaf, releasing chocolate leaf; return leaves to same baking sheet. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep chilled.) Using small artist brush, carefully brush some leaves with gold dust, if desired.
• *Available at cake and candy supply stores, or by mail from Jane's Cakes and Chocolates at 800-262-7630.

Steps:

• Dip a small brush in the melted chocolate (keep correct spreading consistency by placing small bowl of melted chocolate over larger container of hot water).
• Thinly coat the underside of the leaves.
• Run you finger along the edge of the leaves to remove any chocolate. This will make it easier to separate the leaf from the hardened chocolate.
• Place the leaves on a tray or plate covered with wax paper, chocolate side up.
• Place in fridge for about 15 minutes or until the chocolate has set.
• Hold each leaf by the stem, give stem a little twist to loosen chocolate and very slowly and carefully peel off the chocolate.
• NOTES:.
• Don't use the chocolate if it's too hot. Allow it to cool of a bit after melting.
• If the chocolate leaf is weak along the middle because of a large vein, repaint it and rechill it.
• Spread a thicker coat of chocolate over large veins.
• Failures can be remelted.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the 2 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
• In small saucepan, melt 6 ounces white chocolate and hot water over low heat. Stir until smooth, and allow to cool to room temperature.
• In a large bowl, cream 1 cup butter and 1 1/2 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition. Stir in flour mixture alternately with buttermilk. Mix in melted white chocolate.
• Pour batter into two 9 inch round cake pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
• To make Frosting: In a medium bowl, combine 6 ounces white chocolate, 2 1/2 tablespoons flour and 1 cup milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is very thick. Cool completely.
• In large bowl, cream 1 cup butter, 1 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla; beat until light and fluffy. Gradually add cooled white chocolate mixture. Beat at high speed until it is the consistency of whipped cream. Spread between layers, on top and sides of cake.

Steps:

• In a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water melt 2 ounces white chocolate. Pat dry 20 pesticide-free non-toxic leaves (such as rose or lemon) and with a pastry brush coat backs of leaves about 1/8 inch thick with chocolate. Chill leaves, chocolate sides up, 30 minutes, or until very firm. Carefully peel off real leaves. Chocolate leaves keep, layered between sheets of wax paper and chilled, 1 week. Recommended for garnish on cakes, berry desserts, and chocolate mousses.

Steps:

• Using paintbrush, coat underside of 1 leaf with a thick layer of chocolate. Drape leaf, chocolate side up, over a skewer set on a parchment-lined baking sheet, top. Repeat. Refrigerate until set, about 10 minutes.
• Gently grasp each leaf with tweezers, and peel from chocolate. Use chocolate leaves to decorate as desired, or store, refrigerated, in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter and line the base of three 18cm sandwich tins with baking parchment. Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla together in a large bowl with an electric whisk for 8-10 mins, or until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift in the flour, baking powder and a pinch of fine salt, and fold in using a large metal spoon. Add just enough of the milk to create a dropping consistency.
• Divide the batter between the prepared tins and smooth the tops with a spatula. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 25-30 mins or until golden and firm to the touch. Leave to cool slightly in the tins, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• While the cake is cooling, make the buttercream icing. Beat together the butter, icing sugar and vanilla until pale and fluffy, beating in 4-6 tbsp hot water to loosen the mixture if necessary.
• Stack the sponges, spreading the buttercream over each one using a palette knife, then use the palette knife to roughly coat the outside of the cakes with the remaining buttercream to create a crumb coat. Chill in the fridge for 30 mins.
• Using more of the icing, spread it over the chilled cake using your palette knife so that there's an even layer of buttercream across the whole cake and over the top. Chill in the fridge for 2 hrs until set, or ideally overnight.
• To make the mirror glaze, soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for 5 mins until softened completely, then drain. Put the sugar, 200ml water and the condensed milk in a pan, whisk together, bring to the boil, then whisk in the drained gelatine leaves. Put the white chocolate in a bowl, pour over the sugar mix in the pan and leave for 1 min to melt. Whisk everything together, then divide into three bowls.
• Using the gel colourings, colour each bowl a different shade. Put one of the colours that you would like to use as an accent colour on top to one side. Stir all of the colours occasionally leaving them to sit until they reach 30-32C so they are thick enough to glaze the cake without being too thin and running off the edges. Once at that temperature, pour the remaining two colours on top of each other and stir slightly to marble them together.
• Place your chilled iced cake onto a cooling rack set in a deep tray (to collect the excess glaze). Pour over the mirror glaze which should be at 30-32C, allowing it to drip down the sides. Drizzle over the accent colour you've saved then, using a paint brush, flick over some gold lustre, if using. Leave it to set completely before slicing and serving. Will keep, in the fridge, for up to three days.